In wind turbines, a range of parameters are measured at regular intervals or on an on-going basis in order to monitor the state of the wind turbine generator, the power output by the wind turbine generator as well as parameters relating to the environment of the wind turbine generator. Such parameters are e.g the pitching of blades, yaw angle, properties of generated electricity, wind speed, temperature, etc. However, every once in a while, a need for measurement of non-standard parameters occurs, such as parameters which the wind turbine is not by standard arranged to measure; such non-standard parameters may e.g. be gear box coupling, extreme pitch loads or gear stay slip (that is registration of movement between gear box and gear stay).
Today, when such non-standard data is to be measured, a data acquisitions system (DAQ system) must be installed and calibrated in the wind turbine in question for acquisition of the specific non-standard data. A DAQ system comprises relevant sensors, typically to be positioned in the hub or the nacelle of a wind turbine, as well as means for transporting measurement data to a processor in the bottom of the tower for export thereof from the wind turbine, e.g. to a power plant controller and/or to an external server.
This installation and calibration of a specific DAQ system is time consuming and thus expensive. The transfer of data from sensors in the hub and/or the nacelle of a wind turbine to a processor or controller in the wind turbine tower and/or to a server remote from the wind turbine is done wirelessly or cabled (e.g. optical cable). The wireless data connections are not always successful and the cabled data connections typically comprise the installation of a lot of cables. Therefore, the designing, implementation and installation of a measurement system for measuring non-standard parameters of a wind turbine are cumbersome and time consuming.
Hence, an improved data acquisition system for providing measurement of non-standard parameters in wind turbines would be advantageous, and in particular a data acquisition system with shorter installation time would be advantageous.